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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Rolf Heimann

A writer, cartoonist & poet himself, still at the Indonesian Consulate General, with his baritone voice makes the reading is unique and interesting!

'It was very enjoyable the other day, and I hope to come again to the Jembatan Society for the next meeting. The poem was by Wilhelm Busch, and I tried to translate it in the same casual style. As I said, he usually wrote in a humorous style, but not always. To translate serious poems need a lot of courage and confidence, because one can not always fathom the full meaning of the original. I am sure here are poets who would read translations and say: "That's not exactly what I meant!"
Next time I might read atranslation translation, of a more serious poem by Wilhelm Busch, which contains the line: " You helped created this world before your mother gave you birth". I wondered whether I understood this right and pondered long about it. It certainly is food for thought.

A flower graced the sunny meadow
so beautiful that in its shadow
no other plant within compare
would seem as blooming half as fair.
A butterfly came floating by
and looked the flower in the eye.
While hesitating close above it
the insect couldn't help but love it.
And in this meadow's very sector
were also bees collecting nectar
and bugs and beetles and their siblings
pursuing their accustomed cribblings
right over leaves and stem and petals,
which raised the butterflyer's hackles
and filled his little heart with pain.
Alas, his anger was in vain:
It happened that within an hour
an old grey donkey spied the flower,
and he devoured with boorish pleasurel
that much admired floral treasure.





























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